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Kidambi Srikanth blames Nationals for injury

Tenacious, dogged and equally skilful, the year 2017 certainly belongs to one Kidambi Srikanth who recorded four BWF Superseries triumphs- an unprecedented feat in the history of Indian men's badminton.

| TNN | Dec 24, 2017, 08:48 IST

Highlights

"If I would have skipped that (Nationals), I wouldn't have suffered the injury. It would have given me more time to rest my body, train and play other tournaments," said Srikanth

The injury, besides denting Srikanth's chances of claiming the top spot in rankings, also spoilt his preparations for the year-end Dubai Superseries Finals

India's badminton ace Kidambi Srikanth has blamed the hectic schedule for ending the year on a forgettable note. (PTI Photo)

An integral part of the Awadhe Warriors, Srikanth - albeit in hindsight- wished he hadn't been a part of the 82nd Senior National Championships which resulted in an untimely leg injury costing him the China and Hong Kong Open Superseries as well as the No. 1 spot in BWF rankings.

"I think yes. I played those two tournaments (the Denmark and French Open Superseries) in two weeks. I played all the ten matches and right after that, I came back and had to play the Nationals. If I would have skipped that, I wouldn't have suffered the injury. It would have given me more time to rest my body, train and play other tournaments," said the world No. 3 on the sidelines of the third edition of the Premier Badminton League.

While accepting that the Nationals were an important tournament, Srikanth said: "As the senior player, if I can't do something for this sport then it doesn't really help anybody."

The injury, besides denting Srikanth's chances of claiming the top spot in rankings, also spoilt his preparations for the year-end Dubai Superseries Finals and the 24-year-old minced no words when asked about his early exit after suffering losses against Viktor Axelsen, Chou Tien-Chen and ShiYuqi.

"I expected myself to play better but I hadn't played many international tournaments ahead of the event and that really made the difference. If it would have been any other superseries, I would have faced easy opponents and that would have given me the chance to settle in. But Dubai being such a big event, you can't really expect that to happen. Match practice is important and, in India, it is a little disappointing but that's how it goes," said Srikanth.

With the likes of Saina Nehwal and Carolina Marin having already criticized the BWF calendar for its cramped schedule, Srikanth is keen to follow the pick-and-choose route endorsed by PV Sindhu. "Next year, it's definitely going to be tough with the increased number of Superseries events and the Commonwealth and Asian Games. It's packed. It's important for me to think about my body, my fitness and plan for the tournaments. Definitely, I am going to pick and choose."

Intending to play in a couple of tournaments before the India Open in late January next year, Srikanth stated that he might choose to train in February for the Commonwealth Games and the All-England Badminton Championships. Srikanth, however, wants to utilize the PBL for match practice before the start of the Superseries early next year as he felt being away from international scenario for a month cost him in Dubai.

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